Song of the Stubborn One Thousand: The Watsonville Canning Strike, 1985-87 (Paperback)

Staff Reviews

From 1985 to 1987, a thousand workers, mostly Mexican women, went on strike against Watsonville Canning. In an era when unions were struggling, and while unprepared and disorganized, the workers came together, organized, and held the picket line for 18 months, not breaking it once. While they ultimately triumphed, they also sacrificed and struggled. I’m thrilled to see this important chapter in Watsonville’s history added to the local history section. —Flannery

— Flannery

Description

On September 9, 1985, one thousand mainly Mexican women workers in Watsonville, California, the "frozen food capital of the world," were forced out on strike in response to an attempt by Watsonville Canning owner, Mort Console, to break their union. They returned to work eighteen months later. Not one had crossed the picket line. A moribund union has been revitalized, and Watsonville's Latino majority emerged as a major force in local politics.

At a time when organized labor was in headlong retreat, the Watsonville Canning strike was a dramatic show of the power of women workers, whose struggle became a rallying point for the Chicano movement.

Apart from its sheer drama, the strikers' story illuminates the challenges facing a group of ordinary working people who waged a protracted and ultimately successful struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds.

About the Author

Peter Shapiro: Peter Shapiro is a retired letter carrier and longtime labor journalist. His union paper was repeatedly honored during his tenure as editor, and he has published in Labor Notes, Labor Studies Journal, Unity, and The Nation.